Helicopter Crash Near Sebring Kills Pilot

A helicopter reportedly nose-dived into the ground at a sod farm near the Sebring airport late Friday afternoon, apparently killing the pilot.

By SAMANTHA GHOLARHalifax Media Services

SEBRING | A helicopter reportedly nose-dived into the ground at a sod farm near the Sebring airport late Friday afternoon, apparently killing the pilot.No official information had been released as of Saturday afternoon, but an eyewitness spoke to the News-Sun in Sebring on Saturday morning near the scene of the crash site on the Sod, Citrus and Cane property near Sebring International Raceway.The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the wreckage, which was near an irrigation pond, Saturday morning.Joshua Snell, an employee with the contracting com­- pany that helps manage the property, said the incident occurred about 5:20 p.m. Friday."We had been working back there all morning, then we moved up here to the front at about 12 (noon). I saw what happened. He flew over a few times, probably about four or five times. Each time he kept getting lower and lower. "The last time he was right on top of those trees, and it looked like he nose-dived. Then I saw it blow up when it hit the ground," Snell said.Snell stated that another employee called in the emergency, and he went to the crash site and offered help."It burned up really quickly. By the time the fire trucks got here, (there) was nothing really left but smoke. I saw the pilot's leg all mangled up in there. It is bad," Snell said. "There was one other worker nearby when it crashed, but he was OK."It was definitely a crop duster, but I don't know that he was spraying anything or not."Highlands County sheriff's detectives and investigators were on scene Saturday morning.